5 players to watch between 49ers and Washington

The 49ers play their third straight road game Sunday in Washington where coach Kyle Shanahan was offensive coordinator from 2010 to 2013. Led by quarterback Kirk Cousins, Washington (2-2) is coming off a bye week and has had plenty of time to prepare.

San Francisco (0-5) lost the last four games by 11 points combined, including the last two weeks on the final play in overtime. The 49ers, perhaps more than any team, know games often come down to individual performances.

Let’s take a look at five players to watch that will go a long way toward determining the outcome in Washington…

Kirk Cousins, QB

(Harry How-Getty Images)

All eyes will be on Cousins Sunday. The Washington quarterback became the first in league history to be given the franchise in consecutive seasons and is auditioning for a new contract in the spring. Cousins is off to good start. He’s currently among the NFL’s top quarterbacks, on pace to throw for over 4,000 yards, 28 touchdowns and four interceptions. The rub? Cousins is likely high on the list of the 49ers.

Shanahan was Washington’s coordinator when it drafted Cousins in the fourth-round of the 2012 NFL draft after trading up for Robert Griffin III. Talk of Cousins departing Washington to join Shanahan in San Francisco dominated the offseason. The 49ers signed stop-gap Brian Hoyer in the offseason and didn’t pursue a quarterback early in the draft, despite having their pick of the liter with the second-overall selection. Cousins could be the team’s long-term solution under center, which is the most interesting subplot to Sunday’s game.

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